eyepieces Help?

Hi All,
I have a question for you... I am new to astronomy and My question is this: Am I missing some eyepieces or even something else, like filters? I have a C8N 1000mm F5 Reflector which came with a 20mm plossel, I also purchased a 12mm plossel and a X2 Barlow. At the moment I am just exploring the sky, for Nebula and star clusters the 20mm seems best, for Saturn, the 12mm & X2 Barlow is great, but I am wondering if I can push it a bit more.
BTW, The 12mm has a 50 degree apparent field of view, should I get one with a wider field of view?
Thanks!

TBH it sounds like you're on to a winner there. Personally I love getting really wide fields so I'd be lost without my 40mm but I may just be a bit odd

Bart.

Rayman

The maximum magnification would be 50 times the aperture ie 400 power.

Your highest mag. with your 12 mm is 1000/12= 83x. With a barlow that gives a top mag 166x so there is scope for you to get a higher power eyepiece. If you get something like a 6m then you will get 1000/6=166x and with a barlow you will be able to get the to 333 which is quite close to the maximum.

Generally only on extreemly good nights would you be able to see to your top mag. anyway so you wont be loosing out too much. You could also get a 4m wich will give you 250x but you will not be able to use the barlow on this as the image will appear to faint and fuzzy to be viewable.

In my humble opinion you are better off getting eyepices then relying on barlows because they reduce the light, and they can lead to blackening of the image if you are not correctly positioned over the eyepiece.

Your lowest eyepiece is 20mm which gives you 50x. this is quite low as it is and you could try to get a 26mm which will give you 38x. Or you could get a wide field eyepiece but they can be very expensive.

Hope this helps

db

Hmm, its great to have people on the other end of the net willing and able to help at the drop of a hat, how many trips to the Library or episodes of "The Sky Of Night" would I have had to watch 20 years ago to figure this out. Anyway, back to topic: food for thought there guys, thanks, and room for an eye piece or two! what of filters? I am in a south Dublin Suburb, is there much point in me getting any filters just yet? I don't mind the money, but I don't want to be one of those people who get everything under the sun (xcuse the pun) at the start, when they won't get around to using them for a year or so. Finally, for tonight... Which are the best brands for eye pieces? I have a Celestron Plossl's at the moment, I know they are good, but what are, say, the two best alternatives? Great point about the Barlows stealing light by the way, never thought of that!

Rayman

You can get relatively inexpensive coloured filters which are good for bringing out detail on the moon and planets. You can also get more expensive filters for some deep sky objects which by obsorbing various wavelengths of light improve contrast.

As for the best brands of eyepiece it really is how much you want to pay and how fussy you are about the quality of your views. If you will only be satisfied with absolutely exquisite views of the heavens you could be spending litteraly €100s on televues etc.. Otherwise i understand you could pick up second hand eyepieces on ebay for a a small amount. Greenwitch currently have a sale on with some good eyepieces. The best thing to do is try to go on some observing nights where you can perhaps try out other peoples equipment before you buy anything.

db

Of course, its never easy, how long is a piece of string = what do you want from an eyepiece, however point taken, I think on those. Thanks db, have a good evening.

Rayman